...and Harrods checks out its flagship store

HARRODS held informal talks about taking a shop on Oxford Street in Debenhams’ flagship department store, sources have told The Mail on Sunday.

The luxury goods retailer even visited the store – which was closed for good earlier this month – in late summer during which conversations were had about the site, the sources said.

It is understood no formal communication about the lease took place and no deal was struck. Harrods denied that any negotiations had taken place when contacted, adding ‘ at no point has Harrods had any correspondence regarding the lease at Debenhams on Oxford Street’.

Representatives for Debenhams, which went into liquidation last month, also declined to comment.

Harrods – forced to close several times under lockdown rules – is understood to have expressed concerns about property taxes faced by London shops.

It opened a ‘pop-up’ Harrods outlet shop in London’s Westfield to help it clear stock in July – also in a former Debenhams store. It was only earlier this month that it was announced that Debenhams’ Oxford Street store would not reopen after lockdown.